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RESEARCH GUIDE
MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
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Determining legislative intent in Massachusetts can be a difficult task. Few successful bills make it to the Governor’s desk accompanied by detailed reports. When there is a report about the need for the new legislation it is usually appended to the original bill that becomes part of the Legislative Documents series.
TRACING LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
1. Find the section of the Massachusetts General Laws that you wish to research.
2. Following that section in the annotated laws (ALM or MGLA) you’ll find historical notes with references to chapters in the Massachusetts Acts & Resolves (cited as “St.”)
These citations are to original enactments or amendments to that section over the years.
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Resource/Location |
Library/Call Number |
| Acts & Resolves of Massachusetts |
5th Floor States
Also on Microfiche on the 4th Floor
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KFM 2425 .A213 |
3. Early Official Codifications & Compilations
4. To convert the Chapter number back to the original Bill number you can use the table found at the back of the annual Bulletin of Committee Work. The Bulletin is located at the end of each year’s Legislative Documents, or for the years after 1973 consult the tables in:
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Resource/Location
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Library/Call Number
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Acts Approved by the Governor 1967 -1973
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MICROFORMS |
KFM2441 G84 1967 |
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Guide to Massachusetts General and Special Acts
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1974-1984
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MICROFORMS
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KFM 2441 .G85
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1985- 2008
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5th Floor States
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KFM 2441 .G85
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5. Submitted Bills and the Journals of the House and Senate comprise the Legislative Documents. Bill texts for years prior to 1945 are located at the State Library of Massachusetts, State House, 3d floor
6. For summaries of legislative proceedings see the Journals of the House and Senate
Bills (Legislative Documents) and House and Senate Journals
7. For reports issued by the General Court on specific topics see
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Resource/Location |
Library/Call Number |
| Index of Special; Reports Authorized by the General Court 1900-1988 with Supplement 1988-1994 |
5th Floor States
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KFM 2418.5 .M37 |
MORE SOURCES FOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
1. The SPONSOR of the bill might provide information about the legislation. For contact information about Massachusetts legislators see:
The Massachusetts Political Almanac |
1st Floor
JK3130 .M37
Online issues. In-Library use only. Log-on by Reference Librarian required
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| 2. The STATE ARCHIVES has “Legislative Packages” for bill introduced since 1775. |
220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston
617 727-2816
Provide the bill number and year.
Current legislative packages are with the House and Senate Clerk’s office, State House
(617) 722-2000
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3. For further information regarding debates, proceedings, committee hearings and news release consult the STATE LIBRARY:
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State House, Room 341 (617) 727-2590 |
WEB SITES & IN-LIBRARY DATABASES
| The Massachusetts General Court offers bill tracking of current legislation through its home page: https://malegislature.gov/ |
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The State Library has old Massachusetts Acts & Resolves in searchable pdf format from 1692 through 2008.
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/2
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Acts and Resolves from 1997-current can be found on the General Court's session laws page.
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instatrac: Research Database Available for in-Library use, includes bill texts and tracking, roll call votes and a wealth of other information about bills and laws since the 1995-1996 legislative session. INSTATRAC is available on all computer terminals for in-Library use.
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State House News Service provides daily and archived coverage of the Massachusetts House and Senate sessions since 1986. Materials include articles, profiles, summaries, forecasts, and background information on virtually every aspect of Massachusetts government, politics and regulatory affairs. State House News Services is available for in-Library use.
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The printed volumes of the official version of the Acts and Resolves from 1692 to 2010 are digitized and available online in the State Library's digital repository. An unofficial version of the Session Laws from 1997 to the present can be found on the Massachusetts General Court’s website.
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